


Close Encounters

by morganoconner



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Space, M/M, Romance, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-10
Updated: 2011-08-10
Packaged: 2017-10-22 23:03:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/243555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morganoconner/pseuds/morganoconner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the story of how an alien named Jensen and a human named Jared met, fell in love, and got their happily ever after.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Close Encounters

  


 

**Part One: Earth**

Thing is, it was just supposed to be a stupid dare. They're all too old for this stuff and Jensen knows it, but he's on break from his last rotation at University, and it had sounded like fun. Shimmy on down to Earth for a day trip, snap a nano-image of the first human he saw, get back home before anyone at home noticed he'd borrowed _Impala_.

The trip was easy enough; his people have been hopping between galaxies since before humans first landed their clunky space-junk on the moon. Earth is a nice little day-trip getaway, and even the cheapest POS hovership can handle the flight these days. So Jensen hadn't been worried about making it back and forth. And he hadn't planned on spending more than an earth-hour tops in the freakish atmosphere. Everything was too blue and green and cloudy and weird, and he was itching to get home and sync up with his friends for a kick-ass round of Cyber-Madden.

But then…

Well, then the _farm boy_ happened. The too-tall boy with the too-long hair and the too-bright smile and the too-friendly personality and...

So now, Jensen's lying to his family, using an excuse about a damaged part of the ship he needs to repair to fly home, while in reality he's wandering around this middle-of-nowhere place called Kansas and making sure _Impala_ stays well hidden in the run-down abandoned little shack near the cornfield he first touched down in. There's a farm – an honest-to-gods _farm_ – half a mile up the road from his ship, and that's where he's been staying. Because that's where he first saw the human. The farm boy.

_Jared._

~ ♥ ~

The night Jensen Ackles showed up on his doorstep was probably the single strangest night of Jared's life. Even now, a week later, he can't stop thinking about it.

Jared's not in the habit of taking in strays. He's friendly enough – his parents have always said _too_ friendly, too trusting, but that's just how he is and they've long since given up on it ever changing – but it's not like his farm is close enough to anywhere important for people just to show up on his doorstep. So what else was he supposed to do, when Jensen did exactly that? The poor guy had been drenched down to his skin by an unexpected downpour, and Jared just…hadn't seen any other options at the time.

Jared was suspicious at first, of course he was. He's not an idiot. And even now, he's still got no idea where Jensen came from, how he just appeared _here_ of all places, ten miles from anywhere with nothing but the clothes on his back and no car in sight. He definitely doesn't know why he didn't call a cab for the man first thing to take Jensen wherever he needed to go, except…

Except Jensen had been alone, and shivering, and desperate. And okay, fine, Jared is maybe a bit of a bleeding heart.

Not to mention, Jensen's got these _eyes_. So green they're practically inhuman, and there's something about them that Jared just finds downright mesmerizing. And, yeah, maybe the rest of the package isn't bad to look at either. A body sculpted so perfect it's almost criminal, plush lips, dark blond hair that's just _begging_ to be mussed up…

But Jared isn't so shallow that that affected his decision. Just like he certainly hadn't taken notice of how much he liked the look of Jensen in his clothes, jeans too big and shirtsleeves too long, all rolled up nice and tidy.

He hadn't noticed.

At all.

Anyway, the point is, he gave Jensen the couch, and some extra blankets, and kept a close eye on him while Jensen warmed up and eventually fell asleep.

Probably, that should've been it. One night, kick the guy out the next morning. But one night had turned into two before Jared even noticed, and then two turned into three, and then suddenly, Jensen was just suddenly a part of the daily routine around the farm.

He's _helpful_ , is the thing. Jared's never once asked Jensen for help with the chores, but Jensen's always right there to lend a hand with whatever Jared needs. Feeding the animals, mucking the stable, baling hay, planting crops, it doesn't seem to matter. Jared only ever has to show him something once, and Jensen takes on the task like he's an old pro. Which is even more incredible when faced with the proof of how much of a city slicker Jensen has to be.

Whatever metropolis he came from clearly doesn't have things like cast iron stoves or coffee makers from the seventies or, God forbid, _cows_ , because he's looked at all of these things like they were from another planet. One part horrified and three parts fascinated, and Jared's had to bite hard on his lip more than once to keep from laughing outright.

But his lack of knowledge hasn't stopped Jensen yet, only made him try harder to learn what he needs to know. Honestly, Jared hadn't even noticed how much the man was actually doing around the farm until a couple days ago – Jared was in a bad mood, just off the phone with his parents, seething because they'd given him a list of things that needed doing the next day, which meant he was going to have to miss the teaching lecture he'd wanted to go to. Jensen had listened to Jared ranting, stomping around the house and slamming doors and generally being angry, and then he'd bitten his lip and told Jared that he'd be happy to take care of everything for him if he wanted to go.

Jared's still stunned by the offer, two days later. For all that Jensen's been here a little while now, up until that moment, they hadn't spoken very much, and he certainly hadn't been given a reason to suspect what a kind person Jensen actually was.

He'd been hesitant, but his desire to see the lecture won out, and sure enough, when he'd finally returned home last night, everything was done exactly as requested. Jensen even had dinner waiting for him, and he and the dog were curled up on the couch reading together.

And now…

Well, now, Jared thinks he's dangerously close to thinking of Jensen as a _friend_.

So enough is enough. There's only so much mystery one man can be expected to take, and it's time he got some answers. He doesn't want to pry into another man's business, but Jensen is still _here_ , and damn it, Jared isn't imagining the odd relationship that's sprung up between them, he knows he's not. He can't be expected to look the other way forever, can he?

He's been standing in the kitchen musing on this since he woke up, and now he blinks around with newfound determination. Sadie comes up beside him and bumps her nose into his hand, waiting until Jared pets her before yipping happily. Jared shakes his head at her and grins. "Hey girl, you seen Jensen this morning?"

He gets another yip in response, and she paws at the door. Raising an eyebrow, Jared opens it and lets her outside, following only when she turns and gives him an expectant look.

Dog's too smart for her own damn good, Jared thinks fondly.

He realizes where she has to be going about three quarters of the way there. They're out by the farthest cornfields, the ones that no one except Jared even cares about anymore because they take too much work to harvest. He can just see the old storage shed, now little more than a few walls and a roof in bad repair. It's been locked up and unused for years now, except that right now the door is hanging wide open, and as he draws closer, he can hear Jensen's already-familiar cheerful whistling coming from inside.

What on _earth_ …

~ ♥ ~

Jensen's just exiting _Impala_ , shaking his arm out because those thrice-damned eco-booster shots that allow him to survive in this environment hurt like a mother, when he hears Sadie's excited barking. Too close. _Way_ too close.

He doesn't get a chance to get back inside the ship and set the flector shields. Not that it would make a difference if Jared could see the ship or not. Not at this point. Because Jensen hasn't been exactly silent, and obviously Jared will have heard him whistling like a moron, and there's nothing he could use to possibly explain why else he was in here, and…

The implications hit him. Jared seeing this. Jared _questioning_ this.

 _Oh, fuck_.

Jensen's in so much trouble.

He has just enough time for these thoughts to fly warp-speed through his brain, and then Jared's coming through the door, blinking up at Jensen so damn innocently. Just for a second, and then his eyes go very, very wide, and he stumbles over Sadie, who's barking frantically next to him.

Jensen says the first thing that pops into his head. "This isn't what it looks like!"

Jared blinks. Then he blinks again. "Um."

 _Shit_.

~ ♥ ~

Jared's seen a fair amount of strangeness in his life. Honestly, anyone who's worked on a farm for any length of time is bound to see some weird things occasionally, and Jared's spent all twenty-two years of his life on this farm.

But for all the strange things he's seen, he doesn't think anything could top this.

The…the _ship_ , because goddamn, but that's the only thing it _can_ be…is all sleek lines and black shine and chrome edges, and it's probably the most beautiful thing he's ever seen, aside from the man standing by the entrance looking nine kinds of guilty and twice as scared. Towards the back of the ship, just above what he imagines are the thrusters – he's read his share of science fiction, thank you very much – the word _Impala_ gleams, and he blinks at it a few times.

Then he turns, very slowly, back to Jensen. "Gotta tell you, I'm no expert," he says slowly, sounding a lot calmer than he feels. "But what this looks like to me is a spaceship." He feels like an idiot just saying it. "So if it's not that, how bout you tell me what it _is_ so I can have a good long laugh at myself, huh?"

Jensen's brilliant bottle-green eyes slide closed, his mouth twisting into a grimace that doesn't suit his face at all, and something inside Jared – the part that isn't currently numb with shock – whoops with the knowledge that he was right.

Sweet motherfucking Christ, he was _right_.

"Jared, look…" Jensen starts, but then he's quiet again, hands clenching into fists at his sides. He looks behind him, into the interior of the ship, then back to Jared. His expression speaks of the battle going on inside of him, and Jared, too kind for his own damn good, goes soft with sympathy.

"No, look, I get it," he says hastily. "Probably top-secret government stuff, right?" He smiles brightly at Jensen, because he really wants to wipe that awful expression off his face. "It's okay, you don't need to tell me anything. We can…pretend I never saw anything?"

Jensen cringes. "That's not…exactly it." When he bites his lip, Jared has a hard time telling himself it doesn't look enticing. "Look, can we go back to the house?"

"Yeah, of course," Jared replies, smiling again with what he hopes looks like reassurance. Whatever is going on here, he wants to know, of course he wants to know. But not at the risk of Jensen getting in trouble for it.

Looking wary and as skittish as an untamed horse, Jensen steps off the ramp leading into the ship. With a soft sound, it whooshes up and locks into place as a door, sealing the ship closed.

The way Jensen reaches out and pats the ship with a tremulous little half-smile is too endearing for words, and that's about when Jared decides he might be in a little more trouble than he realized.

~ ♥ ~

Jensen rubs his thumb over the condensation on his bottle of soda, mostly because keeping his focus on that means he doesn't have to look at Jared. He's not sure he wants to know what expression the human is wearing right now. Actually, he's pretty positive he doesn't, not after the last thirty minutes he's spent talking, telling Jared so many things humans aren't supposed to know.

"So you're…you…" There's the sound of a rough swallow, and Jensen stares even harder at the deep burgundy color of the bottle in front of him.

"Yeah," he says, his voice grating.

Jared exhales, one great big rush of air. "Well then. I mean, _wow_."

"Yeah," he repeats, and this time the word is injected with all of his desperation to _get the hell out now_. He should never have come, let alone stayed so long, let alone told Jared _anything_. The kid is going to be either freaked out or disbelieving, and either is going to hurt like a taser-burn to the heart, he just knows it.

Which is why he's so surprised he actually jolts when Jared's hand is suddenly against his arm, squeezing gently. _Reassuringly_. He whips his eyes to Jared's, opens his mouth to say something but nothing comes out. He feels like he's been bitten by a Vesper Python, venom locking his limbs up tight, breaking his mind down piece by piece until there's nothing left but the green-gold flecks in Jared's hazel eyes. "I…"

"It's okay, Jensen," Jared says softly. He's speaking to Jensen the way he talks to Thunderclap, the wild stallion out in the barn that he rescued several months ago. Jensen isn't sure how he feels about that, but if nothing else, it unfreezes him and loosens his tongue a little.

He clears his throat, looking away again. Jared's hand slides off his arm, but comes to rest on the table only inches away. Still so close. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Jared agrees easily enough.

"Why do you just… _believe_ me?" Jensen asks. "I mean, anyone else on this planet would say I was nuts or having them on." And any other human, if they _did_ believe him, would have him chained up in a lab so fast he'd be spinning out of orbit. But he isn't going to bring that up, because, clearly, Jared isn't like that.

Gods help him, he's starting to _trust_ Jared.

Which, coupled with the insane attraction that's kept him tethered to Earth for longer than he ever meant or wanted to stay, can't possibly be a good thing.

When Jared finally answers, he doesn't answer with words. Instead, he leans over and brushes a hand – too warm and too soft and too damn _gentle_ \- over the bandage on Jensen's upper arm.

He remembers getting the cut, his third day here. Nothing too terrible, and he'd been sure Jared hadn't even noticed. Apparently, Jared doesn't miss much. Jensen's eyes close on his sigh. "The blood?"

"I convinced myself it was my eyes playing tricks on me." Jared snorts a small laugh. "In hindsight, though…"

"My…people…" Jensen clears his throat again. "Only about twenty percent of us look like this," he says, waving a hand at himself. "More or less human. Years and years ago, Martian scientists blended their DNA with humans', to create a subgroup of our people that could come to Earth, blend in, and gather the resources we occasionally need. It was also a convenient way to study and learn without drawing unnecessary attention. Enough of the new subgroup continued to populate that they never needed to try the experiment again." He shrugs a little. "History isn't my strong point, and I'm not really great at Biology either. So I can't tell you much besides that. But a good portion of my DNA is human, which is why my blood is still red, even with the silvery shine you saw. The rest of me…"

"So the other people on your planet bleed silver?"

"And have green skin and only three fingers per hand." Jensen's perfectly serious, and he's not even taking into account all the other differences, but he thinks Jared might think he's joking anyway. It doesn't matter. Gods willing, Jared will never see the others. He'll never see that part of Jensen, never have a reason to be afraid of him. Not if Jensen can help it.

Jared breathes out slowly, nodding as he digests the information. "Hey, Jensen?" He pauses, biting at the inside of his cheek before he finally asks, "How come you stayed?"

Jared deserves to know. Jensen knows that Jared deserves to know. And if, after, he tells Jensen to go…

Well, Jensen certainly won't have a reason to stay then, anyway.

He spends a seemingly infinite moment staring at Jared's hand still resting on the table, so close to him. It feels like it takes light years to get his arm to move, to rest his own hand over Jared's and then turn it, so slowly, and lace their fingers together. His heart is pounding out a Zurthanian drumbeat, probably audible from three miles away, when he finally brings his eyes back up to Jared's and says, "Isn't it obvious?"

Jared is quiet for a long time.

He doesn't tell Jensen to go.

~ ♥ ~

For two days, they don't say another word about any of it. Jensen is obviously having a hard time dealing with everything he told Jared, and while Jared thinks that maybe _he_ should be having a hard time too, he's just… _not_.

The thing is, everything inside Jared is telling him that he can trust Jensen. That Jensen is right where he's supposed to be right now, and that Jared is doing exactly what he's supposed to be doing by accepting it.

Jared is almost never wrong about his instincts.

So he can give Jensen time, because Jensen seems to need it. And meanwhile, Jared's content to focus silently on the heat in his belly that flares up every time Jensen catches his eye, or the quiver in his heart whenever he earns Jensen's rare smile.

He thinks he'd like to explore both those feelings more, just as soon as Jensen's amenable to the idea.

So when the third day comes along, and Jensen asks him too casually if Jared wants to go somewhere with him, somewhere away from the farm for a little while, Jared is only too happy to give him a beaming smile and a nod.

Which is how he comes to be standing in front of Jensen's ship again, staring up at it with his heart in his throat, a mixture of nerves and excitement sending a herd of wild horses stampeding through his insides. Jensen reaches up and touches an inconspicuous panel on the side of the ship, and the ramp comes down with a soft _whoosh_.

The hopeful smile he turns on Jared then is enough to wash every fear away.

Feeling suddenly cheeky and playful, he steps closer and asks, "So, does this count as an alien abduction? 'Cause I always thought it'd be kind of cool to be abducted by little green space men."

Jensen snorts. "If anyone's been doing the abducting here, it sure as hell ain't me." He grins, but his light tone isn't enough to make Jared miss the way his eyes shine with unspoken relief when Jared turns and takes that first step up the ramp.

Jared doesn't get much more than a cursory glance around the interior – it's very open, more spacious than he would've expected without any sort of partition between the front of the ship and the rest of it – and then Jensen's hand is at his back, guiding him toward the soft-looking chair at the front next to the pilot's seat. Jared sits down and looks out the tinted windshield, feeling like this is all a very surreal dream. He imagines that feeling will intensify soon.

"First thing's first," Jensen says, reaching toward a compartment in front of Jared. It opens at a touch, revealing what looks like a basic medical kit.

Jared blinks at it, then at Jensen. "We playin' doctor?" he asks, grinning.

Jensen rolls his eyes, but Jared catches the blush he tries to hide. "If you want to survive outside of Earth's atmosphere, you're either going to need a suit – which I happen to have prepped already if you go with that option – or you're going to need an eco-booster. It's a shot that'll allow your body to instantly acclimate to any environment it's subjected to. Well, within reason anyway. But it means you'll even be able to continue breathing in a place that has no oxygen." His eyes twinkle, leaving Jared wondering just what in the hell Jensen has up his sleeve for this outing. "Choice is yours."

Jared lifts the lid on the kit and swallows at the sight of the rather large needles, each filled with a gooey-looking sort of blue substance. He gathers his courage, plucks one out, and hands it to Jensen with a determined grimace. "Just get it over with," he says, holding out his arm and squeezing his eyes shut.

It hurts like a bitch, but Jensen's soft touch as he cleans the puncture and presses a tiny bandage over it makes it worth it. "You might feel a little off – lightheaded or weak – while the serum binds to your specific cell structure and your body adjusts, but it'll wear off quickly. The booster lasts for a full week, so I promise you won't be in any danger of suffocating halfway through our trip." He gives Jared his rare little half-smile as he puts the kit away.

"I trust you, Jensen," Jared says quietly, and pretends he doesn't notice Jensen's startled, too-open expression.

The controls light up when Jensen turns toward them, and it's somehow the easiest thing in the world for Jared to put his life in Jensen's hands as the ship starts up and begins to hover. Jensen maneuvers it carefully through the open shed door, and then he turns to Jared with the largest grin on his face that Jared's ever seen and says, "Ready?"

Jared's never been more ready for anything in his life.

~ ♥ ~

The look on Jared's face is one Jensen thinks he wants to spend the rest of his life seeing as often as possible. The unparalleled joy as _Impala_ races her way up and out of Earth's atmosphere, the naked awe as the planet drops away and is replaced by the deep blanket of space and stars as far as the eye can see, the impossible reverence as he tries to take in everything at once…

It's beautiful.

Jensen navigates with the ease that comes from long years of practice. The ship technically belongs to his brother, but it's always been Jensen's baby, something even Josh won't deny. _Impala_ is one of the fastest, smoothest ships in the galaxy, despite her age. Most of his people would call her a classic, a collector's item. Jensen knows better.

It's a short trip from Earth to the moon, and it goes by in a blink with Jensen so focused on stealing glances at Jared as often as he can. By the time he's touching down on the cold gray surface, his chronostick is telling him it's been twenty-four minutes since they left Earth's atmosphere.

Jared is staring at him with the goofiest smile on his face, and Jensen tentatively grins back. "So…surprise?" He shrugs a little. "I know it's not exactly Andromeda, but –"

"This is _awesome_ ," Jared says, and with the way he's practically vibrating in his chair, Jensen believes him. He relaxes a little, letting his smile widen.

"I'm glad you think so," he says, ducking his head and feeling uncharacteristically shy. Jared has that effect on him. He stands abruptly and makes his way over to the doorway. Just as he's reaching up to push the button, Jared speaks up again.

"Wait, what about…" Jared pauses, and Jensen turns back to him with a questioning glance. "Well, won't it be cold?"

"Oh! No… Well, yeah, but just like you'll be able to breathe, the temperature shouldn't bother you much." Jared's wearing a hoodie anyway, since the air had been almost unseasonably cold with a mid-spring frost that morning. He'll be fine. "Come on, stop being a wimp." Jensen winks to show that he's joking, and with a mock cry of outrage, Jared leaps out of his seat and joins Jensen by the door.

He looks nervous, which Jensen can't blame him for. He reaches over and grasps Jared's hand, squeezing it before firmly pressing the button by the door. Jared sucks in a quick breath, wide-eyed and clinging to Jensen's hand for a long moment before he realizes that he's not, in fact, dying.

And then his gaze becomes awestruck all over again as he takes in the view. Still hanging onto Jensen, he bounces like a hyperactive six-year-old. Jensen grins and leads him outside.

Jared's first step on the actual surface has him whooping and punching his free hand in the air, and then it's _him_ tugging _Jensen_ along as he takes off to explore. He releases Jensen's hand only after they've wandered about a couple dozen feet away from the ship. He spins around gleefully, jumps in the air and laughs, Jensen can only assume at the feeling of being nearly weightless. Jensen smiles indulgently, and then finds himself laughing along with Jared when the human swats his arm and says, "Tag! You're it."

The impromptu game of moon-tag lasts for over an hour, and only ends when they're both too breathless with laughter to continue.

They don't travel too far from the ship, but Jensen watches as Jared takes in everything he possibly can, even while he's playing and having fun. Because Jensen wanted to land in a specific spot, they're on the opposite side from where NASA's Apollo 11 mission team landed, but Jared doesn't seem at all put out by the fact that he can't see Armstrong or Aldrin's footprints, pieces of human history. As far as Jensen can see, there's just a lot of gray rock and dust where they are, but then, he's been to the moon several times for school-related projects, so maybe it's just lost its charm for him.

Or, it usually would have. With Jared, no matter what the landscape looks like, it all seems fresh and new and exciting again. By the time they're racing each other back to the ship, he doesn't think he could ever experience a more perfect day.

Back at _Impala_ , he shows Jared how to find the proper footholds to climb up, and finally, they're simply sitting together quietly on top of the ship, holding hands again and staring out at the green-blue-white of Earth, so far away. It's amazing how this is probably the girliest Jensen's ever felt in his whole life, and he doesn't even care.

"Best day _ever_ ," Jared breathes into the stillness that's fallen between them, mimicking Jensen's own thoughts.

Jensen grins and squeezes his hand again, shifting an inch or two closer until his knee is just barely touching Jared's.

Jared quirks a grin of his own at him, and his eyes sparkle. "Seriously. This has been incredible, Jensen. Thank you."

Jensen blushes but doesn't look away this time. "Any chance I can make it even better?" he asks boldly, moving another half-inch closer.

It's Jared who squeezes Jensen's hand this time. "Tell me about yourself?" he requests softly.

Taken aback, Jensen blinks. Then flushes again, looking down at his lap. "'M not that interesting," he mumbles with a shrug.

"You are to me."

He meets Jared's eyes again hesitantly and sees nothing but honesty in his hazel gaze. "Well…what do you want to know, then?"

Jared beams at him. "Anything. _Everything_. About you, your home, your family, whatever. Jensen, you… I just want to know _you_."

"I…" Jensen swallows a little, takes a breath to steady himself because he's not used to feeling so off-balance. Back home, he's the smoothest of the smooth. Or, well, he would have been if he'd ever actually cared about finding someone. But now, Jared's got him all twisted up in knots he doesn't know how to untie. Doesn't even know if he _wants_ to. "By Earth years, I'm twenty-six. I have an older brother, Josh, and a younger sister named Mackenzie." He pauses, searching for something interesting he can tell Jared. "I'm…a student in my eighth and final rotation at University. It's the highest level you can get, but I love school, so I'm going to miss it when it's over."

"So what do you study?" Jared cuts in.

Jensen smiles at the interruption, because this is actually something he's proud of, feels comfortable talking about. "I'm doing a double major in xenoanatomy and physical therapy. We get a lot of off-worlders who come to us hoping for help with one problem or another – Mars has the best PT programs in this galaxy and the entire surrounding quadrant – but most of our equipment is only designed for people like us…bipeds. I wanted to go into something that would let me try to help everyone else."

Jared's eyes are wide and curious. "Oh… So you – your people, I mean – aren't alone? Out there?"

There's no stopping the bubble of laughter that escapes Jensen, but Jared doesn't look annoyed by it. Only inquisitive. "Jared, up until a few days ago, you thought your planet was the only one with intelligent life on it, and then you met me. And I'm only one planet over, a planet humans have _studied_ and still managed to skip over us entirely. Believe me, if they can miss _us_ , they can miss a whole lot of others too. Compared to the populations of, say, Centaurus A, our flector equipment is antique at best. Just because people are good at hiding, doesn't mean they're not there."

"Huh." Instead of looking scared, Jared looks downright intrigued. "You know, I keep noticing you using words and phrases and names I wouldn't expect. What's up with that? Aren't those human terms?"

"Sure." Jensen shrugs. "But with how often we come to Earth, my people found it easier over time to adopt and use one of the more common languages, as well as use similar terminology. Technically, according to intergalactic politics, our galaxy – the Milky Way – is called two-four-six-seventeen-D." He grins at Jared's confusion. "There's so much universe out there that the Overseers keep it all on a number system to keep things simple. But just like different people here on Earth speak different languages, most planets have their own names for things. We just borrowed yours."

Jared ponders that. "Guess that makes sense. So…these higher-ups… I mean, they, what, keep order in the universe and all that?"

"No." Jensen finds himself relaxing a bit against Jared's side, smiling to himself when Jared doesn't seem to mind. "Nothing quite so sci-fi as that, I'm afraid. This isn't a Star Wars movie, geek." He grins again, fondly this time, and turns his head just enough that he can enjoy the blush that spreads across Jared's cheeks. "No, mostly they jut keep track of things, but each galaxy governs itself. Their own rules and laws. Occasionally, if someone starts making trouble in a galaxy that isn't their own, someone will petition the Overseers for aid. But it's rare. Mostly, people are content to keep to themselves and not start wars over stupid things." He sighs. "The idea of war in general seems to be something unique to your planet. Which is why, according to the rules of _my_ people, we're not supposed to make ourselves known to humans. If the people on Earth ever found out there was life elsewhere, my people believe they'd be inclined to demolish every civilization they could find."

Jared sighs to himself but doesn't deny the possibility. "So if they find out you told me…"

"I might get a slap on the wrist if they find out," he says, shrugging lightly and ignoring the ball of worry coiled in his gut. "But I don't think one lonely farm boy is going to have me sent to the underground. _Prison_ ," he clarifies at Jared's furrowed brows.

"Oh, God," Jared moans, and Jensen pokes him hard in his side.

"Stop worrying," he says. "It's going to be fine." He leans over, resting his head on Jared's shoulder and rubbing his thumb over the warm curve of Jared's hand. Determinedly, he changes the subject. "Want to know my favorite color?"

~ ♥ ~

Jared doesn't know how long they spend talking. Jensen stays resting against his shoulder, holding Jared's hand in his lap and running gentle fingers along Jared's arm with his free hand while he talks about his dog and his childhood and his friends and his home.

Jared interjects every once in a while, asking the occasional question and dropping some of his own tidbits, because fair is fair after all. He tells Jensen about his own brother and sister, and about what it was like growing up on the farm, and about his past dreams of being a teacher, before his parents had inexplicably packed up to travel the world, leaving the farm entrusted to his care.

They exchange stories of past adventures, laugh together over most embarrassing moments, reminisce about each of their favorite memories.

All along, from the first moment he was confronted with Jensen's green eyes, Jared's felt connected to him on some sort of impossible level. Now, he feels like Jensen _knows_ him, in some way no one else in Jared's life has before. And, even though he knows it's not really possible, he feels like he knows Jensen just as well.

"I don't want to leave," he admits quietly.

"I know," Jensen sighs. He shifts just far enough away that he can actually look at Jared again. "You know after we get back, I can't keep putting off going home." Jared nods sadly, and Jensen bites his lip, looking torn. "But I…don't want to lose this." He pauses. "You. I don't want to lose _you_."

"Jensen…" There were reasons, Jared knows, why he wasn't going to do this, at least not yet. But somehow, all those reasons disappear with the look Jensen is giving him. It's suddenly the easiest thing in the world to turn and shift into Jensen's space. To lean down and grace him first with butterfly kisses against his cheek, then Eskimo kisses against his nose. And finally, when Jensen's shaky laughter finally breaks free, to swoop in and claim his mouth in a real kiss. Jensen gasps and makes a pitiful little moaning sound in the back of his throat, but then he surges into it, his hand on the back of Jared's neck, fingers tightening in the hair at his neck.

It's unreal, the sparks that fly between them as their lips move against each other. It's probably one of the most innocent kisses Jared's ever engaged in, but somehow, it's so much more than any of the others ever were.

Jared only notices Jensen trembling when his hand comes to rest against Jensen's spine. It's practically vibrating beneath his fingers. He pulls away slowly, rests his forehead against Jensen's while they breathe together for a long moment. "Wow," he whispers, and gets another burst of shaky laughter in response. He raises his head, starts to smile softly at Jensen before he realizes what he's seeing.

He blinks.

The three-inch green antennae suddenly sprouting from the top of Jensen's head don't disappear.

Jensen must realize what he's seeing, because he suddenly flushes and then goes paler than Jared's ever seen anyone go before turning his face away to hide in the crook of his arm. "Sorry," he mumbles. "Oh, gods, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I just lost focus for a second, I didn't mean –"

"Hey. _Hey_ ," Jared says, using his hand to gently lift Jensen's face back up. Jensen looks terrified, and Jared's heart turns over in his chest. "Do I look upset?" Baffled, yes, he is that, a little bit. But that's been par for the course ever since Jensen arrived in his cornfield. He's getting used to it.

"No," Jensen finally says after a long moment. He sounds like he can't believe it. "I just thought…"

"That I would freak out?" Jared tilts his head, gazing at these new additions to his friend, wanting to reach out to touch but not daring to, especially when Jensen nods slowly. Jared lowers his gaze to meet those too-green eyes again. "It's you, Jensen. Nothing that's a part of you could scare me."

He's pretty sure that sound is a whimper, but he doesn't have much time to process it before he has a very huggable alien in his arms, clinging to him like an octopus.

He holds back tightly, closes his eyes against Jensen's shoulder. "Jensen. Somehow, we're going to make this work. We will, okay? I don't want to lose you, either. Antennae or no antennae," he adds, hoping Jensen hears the smile in his voice.

He's only had Jensen for such a short time, but he doesn't really think he wants to try to live without him now.

Jensen's arms tighten, and against Jared's neck, he gives a very small nod.

They don't leave for a long time.

 

**Part Two: Mars**

"…Otherwise, things are good. Sadie almost got trampled by Thunderclap yesterday, but it was entirely her fault, idiot dog. I did manage to get the saddle on him beforehand, and he took it like a pro! I don't care what Jeff says, that horse is gonna be just fine. We'll be riding him by this time next year, mark my words. Anyway, I should go, Chad'll have my hide if I'm late picking him up at the airport. I'll talk to you soon, yeah? Take care. I miss you, Jensen."

Jared closes the vidscreen with a sigh and glances at the chronostick he's placed next to it. Jensen has classes most of the day, but he'll get the video message when he gets in this evening. By then, Jared will be dead asleep, since, for the moment, their days are on totally opposite schedules. Who knew an extra thirty-seven minutes to a day made such a difference?

But in a couple weeks, they'll be back on track and able to talk to each other again, instead of relying on quick messages to get through each day.

God, Jared misses Jensen so much.

He's never done the long-distance relationship thing. In fact, he's only done the _relationship_ thing twice in his life, and both times ended amicably before they ever got really serious.

Jensen is different. Jared feels so much for him, things he doesn't think he'll ever be able to put into words. It's like Jensen is a part of himself that he hadn't realized was missing all this time. He doesn't know how he ever lived without him, and now that they've found each other…

Jared isn't letting him go, not for anything.

They've been making it work. It's not easy, and they haven't actually seen each other at all in the three months since Jensen left. Classes picked up for him, and planting season started on the farm, and while Jensen _had_ gotten away with his two-week disappearance that first time, neither wanted to draw attention to the fact that he was still in regular contact with someone on Earth.

So it's been rough, and Jared misses Jensen the way he'd miss a severed limb, but they're both determined to make it work. And now Chad, Jared's best friend from high school, is visiting from New York, and he'll be here for a week, and maybe that will help take Jared's mind off the loneliness for a while.

Jared stands, stretches. Grabs his keys from the desk drawer and glances one final time at the closed vidscreen – his only real connection to Jensen. He brushes a hand over it with another small sigh, and then firmly makes himself leave to pick up Chad.

~ ♥ ~

Harley greets Jensen at the door with a single loud bark, a leap onto his chest, and a kiss bath. Jensen grunts at the impact and laughs as the dog's tongue tries to lick into his ear, and then he shoves him off with a fond, "Damn it, Harley." He swipes the orange hair off the black material of his outfit with a grimace that looks more like he's fighting a smile. "You and Sadie would get along entirely too well," he mutters, remembering the way Jared's dog had started greeting him at the door much the same way after her initial distrust.

One of Harley's ears is flopped over as he sits on his butt and cocks his head at Jensen, and it makes Jensen laugh again, reaching down to pat the dog's giant head.

Thinking of Sadie now has Jensen thinking of Jared – well, okay, _everything_ usually brings Jared to mind, let's be honest – and he heads into his room to grab his vidscreen.

Jared looks good – tanned from long hours in the sun, his hair damp and a little bit curled at the ends from his shower, eyes bright from beneath that ridiculous trucker's cap he's so fond of. Jensen's fingers trail over the image as he listens to every nuance in Jared's voice. When the screen goes dark with the end of the message, he rewinds to one of Jared's smiles and pauses it, his heart clenching painfully in his chest as he stares down for a long moment. "I miss you, too," he finally says, his voice soft.

Harley trots into the room and lays his head against Jensen's leg, staring up at him with soulful purple eyes, his fluffy orange tail spinning like a windmill.

Jensen has classes again tomorrow, a study session with Misha tonight, and a report due soon that he's barely even started, but he's feeling a little reckless, and even if he can't see Jared, he wants to give him something more than a stupid ten minute message on a vidscreen.

Josh is out of town for the night, and _Impala_ is just sitting outside being lonely…surely no one will notice if Jensen takes her for a quick spin, and he bets he can even be back before Misha gets here.

Mind made up, he grins down at Harley, whose head lifts as his tail starts to spin faster. "Hey boy, want to go on an adventure?"

Harley woofs loudly in response, and that's answer enough for Jensen.

~ ♥ ~

"Jay. _Jay_. Dude, wake the fuck up!"

If the irritating voice wasn't enough to pull Jared from the dredges of sleep, the punch to his side would do it. Blearily, he slits his eyes open and glares up at Chad as he rubs the spot. "Hell d'you wan'?" he asks, not really caring as long as whatever it is means he can go back to sleep, and the sooner, the better. The bedside clock reads four a.m. He _wants_ his last hour and a half of sleep, damn it.

"You need to get up," Chad says. "There's somethin' in your cornfield."

Well, that's enough to grab Jared's attention, at least. He sits up, rubbing a hand over his face. "Which cornfield?"

"The one on the edge of the property," Chad says, squinting at him. "The one nobody but you cares about?" He blinks as Jared swings his legs out of bed. "I was havin' a beer on the porch when I saw it. Damn _light_ shining from half a mile away, scared the crap outta me man. We gonna go check it out?"

"No. _I'm_ going to go check it out, you're going to stay here and repent for waking me up at the asscrack of dawn, light or no light." Jared tugs on his jeans and a flannel – summer or not, it's still cold this early in the morning – and grabs his cap as he heads for the door.

"But dude –!"

"Stay. Here."

By some miracle, Chad actually listens, and Jared makes his way down to the field with only Sadie by his side, trotting along with her tongue lolling out and tail wagging. He doesn't bother with his flashlight until he actually hits the edge of the cornfield, and then he flips it on, glancing around. _Jensen, what are you up to?_ he wonders.

It's not a particularly big field, but it still takes him a good half hour of wandering row by row before he finds what he's be looking for. He pushes past a few young stalks of corn and stops dead, staring at the flattened plants in front of him. He walks out, stepping over them carefully, flashlight shining. There's a _path_ of flattened cornstalks.

Jensen made a damn _crop circle_. Judging by what he can see, it isn't too large, or Jared would give him a piece of his mind over the lost corn, but as it is, he's having a lot of trouble caring. _Jensen_ did this. Jensen was _here_.

Brow furrowed even though his heart is doing backflips, Jared follows the path once around, frowning a little at the shape it makes. He walks it again, starts to make sense of the pattern, but he can't believe it. It takes five more trips around to be sure, and just as the sun has made its way over the horizon, he stops again, his mouth hanging open.

Jensen left him a heart-shaped crop circle.

~ ♥ ~

Misha's eyeing him with a too-knowing look in his unnaturally blue gaze. Jensen's been ignoring him, but it's not easy. It never is with Misha.

Misha's not like the rest of the main population on Mars. Even aside from his bright blue eyes where most of the population all have green, there's the simple fact that Misha is here. He _likes_ talking with Jensen. Jensen's hair and hidden antennae and the way he talks don't freak Misha out the way they do everyone else.

In theory, those Martians who have genetic alterations to be able to blend in with humans – tactfully referred to as Gen-Earthers in some circles – aren't treated any differently than the rest of the population.

But mostly, the Martians avoid the Gen-Earthers, because they're different. Bulky limbs where the Martians are thin, almost stretched looking. Hair where the Martians have none. Protruding noses where the Martians just have two small slits for nostrils. Ten relatively short, stubby fingers instead of six long, graceful ones. Peach and tan and brown skin where the Martians are all one shade of emerald green. And, of course…

[ _You can avoid looking at me all you want, but you_ will _tell me what you've been up to._ ]

…vocal cords, where the Martians all rely on telepathy.

Jensen glances up with a sour look. Misha is sitting cross-legged on the bed, looking all too innocent, which never bodes well. It means Misha actually _knows_ something. "I don't know what you're talking about," Jensen tries.

Misha's thin mouth, smaller than the Gen-Earthers' but no less expressive, curves up in a smile. [ _Mmhmm. Of course not. And the human freeze-framed on your vidscreen, he would say the same, I suppose?_ ]

Jensen goes cold. "Damn it, Misha! I told you to stop being so damn nosy!" If it weren't for the fact that Misha's his best friend on this whole planet, Jensen would have strangled him to death a long time ago. He's infuriating.

Misha's head tilts as he gazes unflinchingly at Jensen. [ _You know I wouldn't say anything. You could have told me._ ]

And wow, way to make Jensen feel like an asshole. He flushes guiltily. "I can't tell _anyone_ ," he says quietly. "Do you know how much trouble I'd be in?"

[ _You won't be able to hide it forever,_ ] Misha warns, his antennae twitching. [ _They won't be happy, of course, but really Jensen. When was the last time they even opened the Underground?_ ]

Which is true enough. Their people are a peaceful race, as most are. There aren't many causes for the Council to need the Martian prison, even for something like this. But still… "No one would understand." His voice is a whisper now.

[ _No, they wouldn't,_ ] Misha agrees, sounding sad. [ _But you should do what's right for_ you _, my friend, not for them._ ] He hesitates, looking away for a moment. [ _Jensen, you should know. I wasn't the one who found the vidscreen._ ]

Jensen groans. "Danneel." Which probably explains why she's not here, when they'd all had this study session planned for a week to work on final reports.

[ _I am sorry._ ]

Danneel's been his friend practically since infancy, but she's never been as accepting as Misha. And even if she does come around to Jensen's _thing_ with a human, by then half of Mars will know. He's always found Danneel's gossipy ways to be amusing until right this second. "It's not your fault," he tells Misha, trying to stay calm.

It lasts fairly well until he picks up his Anatomy holotext and ends up throwing it across the room and watching it shatter against the wall.

Misha comes to stand beside him as he drops his head to his hands, one long arm coming around his shoulder to offer comfort.

One friend to stand by his side no matter what.

[ _Do you love him?_ ] Misha asks. [ _Is he worth it?_ ]

There's no question. "Yes."

[ _Then you can get through anything. Even this._ ]

~ ♥ ~

"Wait, wait, Jensen, you need to slow down." Jared glances at the door to his room and prays Chad doesn't hear him talking in here. It's three o'clock in the morning, there's no reason for him to be awake except that Jensen had beeped him on the vidscreen in a panic.

It's one thing to explain away your boyfriend leaving you a crop circle heart as a prank by some of the nearby town's teenage population. Quite another to explain away the antennae Jensen is currently too agitated to hide.

"Slower, now. What's going on?" he asks, keeping his voice as calm as he can and hoping it helps settle Jensen a little.

"Danni, a friend of mine, she found my vidscreen, watched a few of your messages. Put two and two together, and as far as I can tell, freaked out. It's already getting around the city, Jared. She wouldn't have meant any harm, I don't think, but –"

"Shit." Jared rubs a hand over his face. "There's no way you can play it off as a joke or something?"

Jensen shakes his head, antennae waving frantically. "I'm a bad liar. People around here don't have reasons to lie. Keep secrets, sure, but _lie?_ I…don't think I can."

Jared's heart constricts, because Jensen shouldn't _have_ to lie, shouldn't even need to think about the possibility. Not because of Jared. Jared would never want that for him. God, Jensen deserves so much better than this… "What can I do?" he asks.

Jensen closes his eyes. Jared can see his shoulders are trembling. "Just…I'm scared, Jared. They won't punish me, or the Council would have come already, but even the others like me don't like humans. They don't trust them. They'll never accept this. I'm already getting looks from people at school, and this morning I heard my instructor talking to the head of the University. It wasn't good. He wants me tossed out of the program, and it's only the grace of the gods I'm still there, but… I don't know what to do."

"Oh, Jensen…"

"I need you." It's spoken softly, a desperate plea, and Jared would give anything in that moment to be there with him, to hold him in his arms and promise that everything is going to be okay.

"I'm right here," is the best he can offer. "Whenever you need. You know that." He takes a steadying breath. "Look, maybe…maybe this isn't worth it. I mean, you could just…cut off all contact, tell them it was a mistake –"

" _No_." It comes out as a growl, making Jared's eyes widen at the fierce look in Jensen's gaze. "I won't do that. Like hell am I giving you up."

Jared's eyes sting. "Just…Jensen, they're your friends, your own people. I'm not worth that."

"I'm going to tell you this once, and I don't want you to forget it, so listen closely," Jensen says, holding Jared's eyes. "I know things are different on Earth, but here on Mars? We don't just fall in and out of love so easily. When it happens, it's for a reason. I am _not_ letting you go, Jared Padalecki, and no force on your world, my world, or any other world is going to force me to. Not even you."

Overwhelmed, Jared touches a hand to the screen, watches Jensen raise his hand on his own side to meet it. It almost feels like connection. It's not enough, but it's something. "Okay," he breathes out. "Okay. So what do we do?"

Jensen shakes his head. "I don't know," he says. He seems steadier now, though. "I know I want to finish my degree. Worked too damn hard for the thing, and once I have it, it will be recognized by almost every other planet in any of the surrounding solar systems. Since they can't kick me out, I may as well rub their faces in it, right?" He manages a smile. Jared gives him a lot of credit for that smile.

"Right." Jared fidgets. It's a bad idea, a _really_ bad idea, but… "Jensen, all things considered, I know it's probably really soon, and…I know you probably don't want to leave your home, but." He takes a breath, releases it slowly. "How would you feel about living here?" Because Jensen can blend in here, won't be judged for things people have no right to be judging him over. And Jared's so cut off from everyone else anyway…

Jensen blinks a few times, his eyes wide. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," Jared says, laughing a little. "Seriously. I mean…maybe? It could work. I think it could work."

"Your brother –"

"Doesn't run this farm. I do. I'll come up with something to tell him." Jared shrugs. "It's just a thought, I don't want to pressure you…"

"No, it's… I like the thought," Jensen assures him hastily. "The Council will hate it, but they'll hate the idea of me staying and planting _ideas_ even more. I think I could make them go for it. My brother, he's practically on the Council, he speaks for the Gen-Earthers. He can convince them if I can't. Jared, are you sure?"

"Completely." God, to have Jensen here all the time? To be able to fall asleep holding him, to wake up and see those beautiful green eyes every morning? It would be a fucking dream come true. "I love you too, you know."

One kiss. They've only ever had one kiss, and he doesn't know how he fell so hard or so fast, but that one kiss was more than enough to prove to him that what they have is more real than anything else Jared's ever known.

"I know," Jensen says with a blinding smile. "It's why I think I can do this. I'm going to go talk to Josh and let you get back to sleep, but Jared…"

"Don't thank me," Jared tells him. "Don't thank me for this. Just get here when you can and stay safe in the meantime."

Jensen nods, quirking another smile at him. "Gods, Jared, I love you. I'll contact you soon." The screen goes dark before Jared can reply.

He closes the vidscreen slowly, mind working at a thousand miles a minute. No way is he getting back to sleep now. Carefully, quietly, he eases the door to his room open and tiptoes out, intent on getting some water and a snack. He's got planning to do, and he'll think better with a full stomach.

He makes it halfway past the living room couch and the light flips on.

Chad grins at him from the rocking chair, one eyebrow raised. "So. Aliens, huh?"

Jared freezes, deer-in-headlights style.

"Hey, not judging!" Chad says, hands raised. "I mean, let's face it. That's kinda hot, bro. But c'mon, don't you think you owe me some details? Least you can do for keeping secrets from your best friend."

Chad's grin now is downright sleazy, and the only thing Jared can do is groan and blush and toss a throw pillow at him.

~ ♥ ~

It ends up taking Jensen a few days to work up the courage to talk to his brother. Not because he thinks Josh will judge him as harshly as everyone else, but because talking to him will make the decision seem so…final.

Mars is Jensen's home. He's never thought about going anywhere else. Mackenzie is working in Cassiopeia, one of the dwarf galaxies that satellites Andromeda, and she loves it, but that was never Jensen's plan. Jensen's plan was always to stay.

But he wants to be with Jared, more than anything. And after five days of the silence, the hard glares, the whispers behind his back and in his head, Jensen knows his mind is made up.

Josh doesn't seem surprised, when he finally comes to him.

"Keeping busy, little brother?" he asks softly.

Jensen's lips quirk up in a half-smile. "You could say that."

Josh watches him for a long time after Jensen sinks into the chair in front of him, staring resolutely at the wall behind his brother. "You want me to talk to the Council," Josh finally says. It's not a question. "You want to be with him."

Jensen's eyes lower to the floor, then close entirely. "Josh…"

"Mom and Dad won't be happy."

"I know." Their parents are traveling right now, winging their way to the far reaches of the universe on a scientific mission. But if they were here, they'd be furious. "And Mac –"

"She'll understand. Our sister is pretty smart."

Breath catching, Jensen very slowly looks back up. Josh is smiling softly at him, eyes warm and bright. "I…"

"You never do things the easy way, that's for sure." Josh shakes his head, removes something from his desk. It's a chip, one Jensen is pretty sure he recognizes.

"Is that –"

"The title to _Impala_? Yes." Josh tosses it to him, and Jensen catches purely out of instinct. "Might as well make it official, she's always been yours."

"I don't…I don't have anywhere to keep her. She'll be hidden all the time, it's not…" _fair_ , he wants to say. It's not fair. But none of this is fair, is it? "Thanks, Josh," he finally says after a few seconds of silence. He blinks back tears.

"What are big brothers for?" Josh winks. "Now get out of here, I've got a meeting to set up. Should be fun." He rolls his eyes, but he's grinning, and Jensen finally thinks things are going to be okay.

~ ♥ ~

Chad stays for an extra couple of days, which Jared is pretty impossibly grateful for. He's on edge, waiting to hear back from Jensen, waiting to see what's going to happen, and if Chad _wasn't_ here, he's pretty sure he'd be pacing holes in the floor, neglecting the farm completely out of such severe anxiety.

"What if –" It's the same question he's started sixteen thousand times in the past week and a half, and it always ends with some horrible imagining that leads to never seeing Jensen again. This time, Chad cuts him off before he can even try.

"Dude. Chill. He's gonna get out of there, and you two will live happily ever after or whatever. It'll be beautiful, okay? There'll be doves, and rainbows, and glitter everywhere. Disney moments galore."

"I hate you," Jared groans, laying his head against the kitchen table where he's seated.

"Yeah, yeah. You say that now. Wait till I plan the bachelor party."

Jared can practically _hear_ the eyebrows waggling.

Chad's a good friend, he's proven that beyond any doubt. Jared is pretty sure he'd regret killing him.

Probably, anyway.

Beside him, there's a high-pitched beeping sound, the vidscreen that hasn't left his side since this whole mess started. He dives for it, flips it open with shaking hands. "Jensen?"

Jensen's eyes are tired, but he's smiling a very quiet smile as he looks at Jared. "Hey."

"Hey? _Hey?_ Tell me what's going on before I find a way to get to Mars and kill you!"

The stupid alien has the gall to laugh at him at that, but then he's smiling that smile again, and the band of worry around Jared's heart starts to ease, just a tiny bit. "I'll be there next week, Jared. I'm coming to stay."

Jensen blinks at the whoop Chad releases from across the kitchen, but Jared barely notices, because his brain is frozen solid, giddy anticipation and crushing nerves and intense, overpowering joy all battling to overtake him at once.

Jensen is coming to be with Jared. Jensen _wants_ to be here with Jared.

Jensen is coming to stay.

Through the daze, he manages to ask the most important question. "Is this okay? Are you happy?"

And Jensen's glowing smile is really all the answer he needs.

~ ♥ ~

Jensen doesn't really own much that he can't replace or live without. The outfits they wear are designed to be self-cleaning…dirt or sweat or whatever just comes right off…so most people only have two or three at most. Those fit easily into his bag, as does his vidscreen and the book, music, and nano-image cartridges that go with it. His gaming system, he'll leave for Misha. Harley is already waiting on the ship. That one was a battle, but he's not leaving his dog behind, and if it comes down to it, he'll just explain that the creature has a mutant disorder of some kind. Humans will believe anything, especially on a farm.

The last things he grabs are the two chips on his desk. One is the chip he received from University just two days ago, the degree he worked so hard to achieve. No ceremony like there should have been, but Jensen doesn't care. It's his, and he knows what it means to him.

The other is from the Council, granted to him at Josh's insistence. It contains everything he needs to start over on Earth, a full identity. It's a gift he didn't expect, and he's more grateful to his brother than he'll ever be able to tell him.

He takes one final look around and then walks out of his room for the last time.

Josh and Misha are both waiting for him when he comes outside. It's Josh who speaks first. "I packed away a box of eco-boosters on the ship for you. Don't lose them, they're the good stuff. Should last you a full cycle at a time, which is almost two years down there." He swallows, clapping his hand on Jensen's shoulder. "And listen kid, you run out, you come back and get more, okay? No reason not to. This isn't, like, exile."

Jensen wraps his arms around his big brother, holds him tightly for a long time. "Got it," he says. "Thank you. And hey, you can link up via vidscreen anytime, right? Or even come visit? Not like I'll never see you again…" He tries to make his voice not tremble, but he doesn't think he really succeeds.

"Course you'll see me, as often as I can sneak away," Josh promises. "Gotta make sure you're taking care of that ship." He pulls away, gives Jensen a reassuring wink. "Eventually, this'll blow over and no one will care anymore. And until then, you've got your human to take care of you."

It's easier to breathe when Jensen thinks of Jared, so he focuses on that, manages a small nod, and turns to Misha. Misha, who he may never see again if he never returns to Mars. Misha, who's been his best friend for so long, and who would stick by him through anything. His throat clogs up all over again, but by then, Misha is already hugging him. It's not a common custom among Martians, except for some of the Gen-Earthers, but Misha hugs him like it's something they've always done.

[ _Stay safe, my friend. I'll miss you._ ]

"You too," he chokes out.

He turns away when he can't take it anymore and manages three steps toward the ship before he sees her.

Danneel is standing by _Impala_ , her fiery red hair in disarray from running. Tears stream down her cheeks and her hand is pressed over her mouth. Swallowing hard, Jensen makes his way over to her.

"I'm sorry!" she cries. "Jensen, I'm so sorry, I never meant –"

"I know," he says, and draws her into a gentle hug. "I'll be all right. I'm not mad at you, Danni."

"You should hate me," she replies, clinging to him and pressing her tear-stained face into his shoulder.

"Nah. You're here, aren't you?" He draws away, giving her a small smile. "That's what counts." He sighs, glancing at the chronostick dangling from his bag. "I've got to go. Jared's going to be expecting me."

She nods, swiping a hand over her face and straightening her back as her eyes flash fiercely. "You tell him if he doesn't take care of you, I'm going to come and kick his ass."

Jensen's smile broadens. "I'll tell him. Look after Misha, huh? I worry about him, he doesn't really have other friends he can rely on."

"Of course." She punches his arm in her usual teasing manner, offers a tremulous smile. "Better get going, don't want to keep your boy waiting."

Jensen nods and, with a last wave to the people who love him, heads into the ship and sets course for Earth.

Jared is waiting, and despite everything, it feels like Jensen is going home.

~ ♥ ~

Even while he pretends to work, Jared's eyes stay trained on the sky. It's illogical, because he knows that Jensen will have the flector shields activated to keep his ship from the prying eyes of humanity, but he can't help but feel like he'll know. Like if he keeps watching for Jensen, he'll simply be able to tell when he's near.

Chad left for the airport early in the morning, so Jared's only distraction now is the iPod he got from his sister for his birthday last year. It's clipped to his belt, the spirited chorus of Bon Jovi's _Livin' on a Prayer_ blaring from the earbuds and all but deafening him. It's almost enough to keep his mind on his daily tasks. Almost, but not quite.

He's just getting into really belting out the lyrics – probably horrendously off-key, but the only one around to care is Sadie – as he wipes the sweat from his forehead and finishes up the last of the field he's working in when he sees it.

It's barely anything, not even a shimmer, but it's over the cornfield. _Their_ cornfield. And hell, he doesn't care of he's seeing things, it's enough. He drops his tools, doesn't even take note of where they land before he's running.

He fumbles with the stupid iPod as he nears the field, manages to yank it off his belt and get the earbuds out of his ears, and then he lets that fall to the ground as well. Nothing's going to distract him from Jensen. Not a single damn thing.

He scans the sky above the field when he reaches it, but doesn't see any indication that the ship is anywhere close. Still, he trusts his instincts, so he darts over to the shed and drags the door open. A clear invitation. And finally – _finally_ – there's a glimmer, right above the corn stalks, and then there she is. _Impala_ gleams in the midday sun, and she glides effortlessly over the field and through the doorway Jared's still standing beside.

His heart pounds, but he stays where he is. He hasn't seen Jensen in over five months, and he wants the first time he finally lays eyes on him again to be in the sunlight. The sound of the hatch opening is clear, making him fidget. A few moments later, he hears a happy bark, and Sadie's answering whine, but even the curiosity of seeing Harley and Sadie meet won't get him to budge. He stays against the wall, closing his eyes and concentrating on the warm breeze against his face instead.

Jensen's footsteps are light but impossible to miss. They cross the threshold between indoors and outdoors, and the air moves as they pass by him, but still Jared keeps his eyes closed. It's almost a game now, to see how long he can last.

He lasts until there's a shadow suddenly blocking the sunlight, and a cool hand presses against his cheek while another settles at his hip, and Jensen's lips are at his ear, his breath tickling as he murmurs, "Jared."

The first thing he sees is Jensen's eyes, followed by his smile. A hint of freckles across his nose. The sleek lines of the skin-tight black outfit everyone on Mars wears. And that's all he has time to take in before Jensen's leaning in and claiming his mouth in a kiss that's buzzing with both desperation and elation. Jared moans, fisting one hand in Jensen's collar and dragging the other through his hair. His fingers bump something that it takes his brain a second to realize is one of Jensen's antennae, and by then, he's already swallowed Jensen's sharp gasp. "Sorry," he murmurs against Jensen's mouth, but Jensen shakes his head furiously, presses forward and makes a tiny mewling sound.

Well, okay then.

Tentatively, Jared curves his hand over the antenna, strokes down it with two gentle fingers. At the sound Jensen makes, and the way he bucks against Jared's body, Jared is pretty sure he's learned something here. He's also pretty sure he likes it.

But Jensen just got back, and they haven't taken things very far before this point, and he wants to, if Jensen does, he's all for it, but not here, not against a dirty shed in the middle of a blistering hot day. So he forces himself to pull his hand away, drags it down to rest at the base of Jensen's spine. He presses his forehead to Jensen's and takes several deep breaths.

Jensen is trembling in his arms, and it takes a moment before Jared realizes that it's partly because he's laughing silently. "What's so funny?" he asks.

"Nothing," Jensen says breathlessly, grinning up at him. "Nothing, just… That was a very nice welcome home. Better than I'd hoped for."

 _Home_. The word rings in Jared's ears, reverberates in his skull and shivers down his spine, and he likes that. He really, really likes that.

 _Home_.

"God, I've missed you." It's the only thing he can say, and Jensen's eyes soften when he does.

"Me too," he says, pulling Jared into his arms and holding on as tightly as he did the last time they saw each other. It' a long time before either one moves again, but finally Jensen shifts a little. "Hey Jared?" he whispers, breath ghosting over Jared's ear and sending more shudders down his spine.

He pulls back again, his hands at Jensen's elbows, and raises an inquisitive eyebrow.

Jensen's hand slides up his chest, pauses over his heart. A new smile slides over his face, and his too-green eyes sparkle with warmth and mischief. He kisses Jared again, long and deep, until Jared is so lost in sensation that he almost doesn't feel Jensen's other hand tap his forehead. By then, Jensen has already pulled away again and is dancing back a few steps. "Tag," he says with a grin. "You're it."

And then he's spinning around and running, and all Jared can do is stare after him with his mouth hanging open for a long moment, until his brain finally catches up, and he's calling out, "Damn you, Jensen!" and chasing him into the corn stalks.

Jensen's laughter leads him on, and they spend the rest of the day playing in the cornfield, chasing each other through the tall stalks and around the heart-shaped maze until they're so worn out they can't possibly run anymore. They drop to the ground right there in the middle of Jensen's crop circle creation, and they curl together on a bed of bent leaves and corn stalks. It's probably not supposed to be comfortable, and they probably have a thousand things they should be talking about right now, but Jared can't help the way he falls right to sleep in Jensen's arms, breathing in the scent of Jensen beside him.

As far as either of them is concerned, it's the perfect end to the first day of the rest of their lives.

 

**Part Three: The Universe**

Jensen can't help the grin that stretches over his face as he pulls up to the house. Jared is sitting on the steps, watching the two dogs play in the front yard and drinking a glass of lemonade. A second glass sits at his side, and Jensen knows it'll be made just the way he likes it, like it always is when the long summer days get to be this unbearably hot. Jared waves to him, wearing a goofy smile as he moves to one side of the steps, making enough room for Jensen to sit next to him.

It's frightfully domestic, and Jensen loves it. Coming home to this is the single best part of his entire day.

He hops out of the pickup truck with a yawn that cracks his jaw. The door to the truck screeches horrendously as he shuts it, but he's been promising himself he'll oil it for over a year now – ever since Jared's brother gave it to him – while secretly admitting to himself that he probably never will.

"Honey, I'm home," he says, wearily dropping to Jared's side. He guzzles half the glass of lemonade, then carefully places it down again as he snuggles close to Jared and lays his head against his shoulder.

Jared's arm curls around him immediately, and he presses a kiss into Jensen's hair. "Long day?" he asks.

"A Mr. Wilkes day," Jensen mumbles, and feels Jared's wince. Mr. Wilkes is the most irritating, irrational, misanthropic patient Jensen's ever had the displeasure of working with, and he's had his fair share of difficult patients. The old codger broke his leg in three places a few months back, and badly damaged his hip joint at the same time. He's too stubborn to just give up and retire to a nursing home, too fickle to do his therapy exercises properly, and too cynical to believe Jensen actually wants to help him.

And he's just plain _mean_ on top of it all.

"Sorry, Jen," Jared says, tilting Jensen's head up and kissing him softly. Jensen sighs into it, feeling the day's hardships melt right off of him.

When they part, Jensen is smiling again. "All better," he says, though both the words and the feeling are belied by the tightness that suddenly takes hold in his chest. He winces, rubbing at it. This is the third time today, and coupled with the way the heat's been getting to him and setting off headaches all day, it's not a good sign. He should've come straight home the first time it happened, but he really hadn't thought anything of it at first. Stupid of him. "Need a favor," he says, blinking up at Jared.

"You okay?" Jared's hazel eyes are radiating warmth and concern. Jensen offers a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, just… I overdid it today, and I haven't been paying as close attention to dates as I should have been. Can you swing by the ship for me and grab something?"

Jared blinks. Jensen can practically see the wheels turning in his head before his eyes widen. "Goddamn, has it been that long already?"

"Two years and a few weeks," Jensen confirms, barely able to believe it himself. He settled into life on Earth with surprising ease and hasn't really bothered looking back. "The serum apparently lasts longer than Josh thought. Good thing, too. I haven't been paying any attention at all. If it had worn off altogether, instead of giving me some warning…"

"Shit, Jensen." Jared pulls him in close and gives him a bone-crushing hug. "Damn it, you're so busy taking care of everybody else –"

"Yeah, yeah. C'mon, you can mother-hen me after I take my medicine, okay?"

"Better believe it," Jared grumbles, but he stands and whistles the dogs inside, then gives Jensen a stern look. "Get in there and lie down. When I get back, we should talk anyway."

"Because that doesn't sound ominous at all," Jensen mutters with a raised eyebrow, but he does as he's told, trailing the dogs into the blessedly cool house and falling down face-first on the ultra snuggly pillows Jared insists on having in their room. He's fast asleep in seconds.

~ ♥ ~

Jensen hadn't looked like he was dying or anything – hadn't even _really_ looked all that bad – but Jared's still got enough of a sense of urgency that he hops in Jensen's truck to drive the half-mile to the edge of the property, where the ship still resides in the run-down storage shed, rather than walk it.

 _Impala_ gleams in the half-light that slants in through the open door when he arrives, and despite his hurry, Jared can't help but stop and admire her for a moment, just like always. Even now, hidden away here for over two years, there's not a speck of dirt or dust or rust anywhere, and goddamn, but he wishes he had access to the Martian technology that allows for _that_ little miracle.

The box full of eco-boosters is stashed in the back of the ship, each one packed carefully to prevent damage. Jared takes the one on top, slips it into his pocket, closes the box back up, and is just turning to leave when his cell phone begins vibrating at his belt.

He sighs, anxious to get back to Jensen. A glance tells him the text message is from Chad, something he normally wouldn't feel even the slightest guilty for ignoring right now, but the 'urgent' flag captures his attention. He flips the phone open and reads: _Doesn't E.T. ever check his messages?_

Annoyed now, he shoves the phone back into its holder, content to ignore it until he gets Jensen taken care of. He's in the truck and halfway back to the house when the phone rings.

"What?" he snaps the moment he answers, feeling frustrated. It's not Chad's fault, but he's not in any mood to deal with much right now, not until he knows his boyfriend is okay.

"Dude, chill," Chad says, and Jared can practically hear his eyes rolling. "This is important, so whatever bug crawled up your ass and died can wait a minute."

Jared grinds his teeth.

"I just got a message from Misha."

And all right, that's probably the one thing that could clear Jared's mind faster than anything. His grip on the steering wheel tightens as he pulls back up to the house. Misha doesn't contact them for no reason. Even Jensen only hears from him once in a blue moon, and the guy's his best friend. "What's going on?"

"What's going on is that he's been trying to get a hold of your boy there for three days, and you never gave him your new number so he could try _you_ , you idiot. What's going _on_ is that E.T.'s parental units have returned from the depths of outer space, and they are Not Happy." The capital letters are clear in Chad's tone.

Jared's whole body goes cold. "Fuck."

"Say it again, bro. Sources say they're staging an intervention. They're planning on retrieving their wayward son just as soon as their freaking Council gives the okay. And it sounds like the Council has been looking for an excuse to renege on this whole thing for a while now. Even E.T.'s brother can't help at this point. You need to figure something out fast."

" _Fuck._ "

Suddenly, the worries that have been dogging Jared all day don't seem nearly as important as they did an hour ago.

~ ♥ ~

Jensen's more than a little unnerved to realize how _not_ good his breathing had been after the eco-booster has been administered and it suddenly gets a lot easier to take a full breath. Gods, he's been stupid.

Jared's face says he won't be disagreeing with that sentiment anytime soon, and guilt lodges itself in Jensen's throat as he falls back against the pillows. The last thing he wanted to do was give Jared one more thing to have to worry about. He reaches for Jared's hand and threads their fingers together. "I'm sorry," he whispers. "And thank you."

"Don't apologize," Jared says, his face smoothing out a little as he leans over to press a kiss into Jensen's hair, right at the sensitive spot where an antenna hides, making him shiver. "Just don't let it happen again."

"I won't," he promises, squeezing Jared's hand. He's ridiculously tired, the half hour nap having done a whole lot of nothing for him, but judging by the expression Jared is wearing, he won't be getting back to sleep anytime soon. "What's going on?" he asks.

Jared sighs. "An hour ago, I was going to vent. I was going to curl up next to you and tell you all about how angry I was because my parents are coming home, and they're going to make me sign the paperwork that legally and officially makes the farm mine. I was going to bitch and complain and whine about how I don't want it because I've _never_ wanted it because this wasn't supposed to be my life. It was all going to be really childish and angsty, and you were going to hold me and kiss me and tell me that we'd make it work."

Jensen feels his heart breaking for Jared, because he knows how Jared feels about the farm. He loves it, it's always been his home, but he never wanted it for his own. The only reason he stuck it out as long as he did was because he assumed his parents would get tired of their travels and come home eventually, take over again like they were supposed to, or leave the farm in one of their other children's hands, Jeff the oldest, or Megan, who'd always loved it more than Jared.

But Jeff's law practice is finally taking off, and Megan has her dancing, and in their parents' eyes, Jared's dreams of teaching just aren't as important. It's completely unfair, but Jared has never said a single word against them. He only lets the smallest hints of frustration leak out when he talks about it, and if Jensen didn't know him so well, he'd never be able to tell how much it eats him up inside.

"Jared…"

Jared steamrolls right over the comfort Jensen wants to try and offer. "An hour ago, it mattered. But my parents coming home for a few days has nothing on _yours_ coming home and wreaking havoc permanently."

It takes Jensen a few blinks to process that, and then when he finally does, it takes a few more to realize his entire body has gone numb with shock. "What?" he manages.

"Misha's been trying to get a hold of you." Jared looks away for a second, not enough that Jensen can miss the way his jaw is clenching and unclenching as he tries to gather himself. "They're really angry, Jen. They want you to go back, and it sounds like the Council is behind them a hundred percent."

"No." The word tears out of him unbidden, his breathing is going choppy and ragged, vision blurring and darkening at the edges. He's on the brink of a full-blown panic attack and he hadn't even known he could _get_ panic attacks. "They…they can't…but…"

"Jensen." Jared's suddenly right in Jensen's space, hands framing his face and lips pressing against his, just light kisses that work to drag Jensen back from whatever hole his mind is trying to crawl into. "Jensen, come on, stay with me here," Jared whispers, drawing him into his arms.

Jensen's head falls to Jared's shoulder, his arms come up automatically around Jared, and he clings as though they're coming for him right now, as though Jared is an anchor that will keep him tethered here no matter what they do. "I can't leave. I _won't_ ," he says, the words muffled and breathless.

"We'll figure something out," Jared promises. "Your brother is going to stall them for as long as possible. Chad said that Misha even contacted Mackenzie, and she's prepared to help in any way she can. We'll figure something out. They're not taking you away from me."

Once upon a time, Jensen thought that being outcast from his home would be the worst thing to ever happen to him. But he came to Earth, and he made a life here, and he had Jared, which is all he really cared about, and all in all it's actually been pretty amazing.

Now, he's pretty sure that being forced to return home – being forced to give Jared up – would be the end of him.

~ ♥ ~

It's Jeff, not Chad, who calls Jared later that night and says, "Josh got you three days. Better make 'em count, runt."

Telling Jeff the truth about Jensen, in those first weeks after Jensen came to stay, had been more of an accident than an actual plan. But right now, Jared's never been more grateful for the slip, because it means that Jeff, who's become good friends with Josh in the time since, knows what he's going through, and his big brother is still looking out for him just like Jensen's big brother is looking out for Jensen. His throat locks tight with emotion, gratitude and love and fear and so many other things he doesn't even know the names for. He can't say a word, but whatever sound he makes, Jeff must interpret correctly, because before he hangs up, he says, "To the stars, Jay." It's Padalecki brother code for _I love you_ and _I trust you_ and _you're gonna be okay_. Code they've been using since Jared was four years old, and it makes his chest tighten.

His voice is meat-grinder rough when he replies, "To the stars, bro," and his hand is shaking when he snaps the phone shut.

_To the stars._

Hell if that isn't the answer to everything.

~ ♥ ~

Since making Earth his home, Jensen can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times he's woken alone in this bed. So when he blinks the gritty feeling from his eyes and sees the sun trying to poke its way through the curtains but no Jared, it's maybe not exactly surprising that something cold settles into the pit of his stomach.

If Jared's preparing for the worst already, what hope do they have?

But he crawls out of the big bed and gathers his resolve. He'll find Jared, make him see reason. Jensen told him a long time ago he wasn't letting him go, not for anything, and that hasn't changed one single bit in the years since.

He doesn't bother changing out of his boxers and flimsy t-shirt, just pads barefoot out of the room and into the kitchen. And stops short at what he finds, a tiny smile creeping over his face in spite of himself.

Jared is fast asleep, his head pillowed on his arms over a pile of financial paperwork Jensen can't make heads or tail of. He's drooling just a little, and his hair is tufted on one side and flopped over his eyes on the other. He's pretty much the most adorable thing Jensen's ever seen in his life, except maybe the baby skeendrid he saw on Pluto way back when.

No. Even the baby skeendrid, with its giant eyes and puffy fur and glistening faerie-like wings, has absolutely nothing on a sleeping Jared Padalecki.

Whatever he was working on, it clearly got the best of him. There are papers spread out all over the kitchen table, and a few loose ones have fallen to the floor unnoticed. There are handwritten notes, lists of some kind, all in Jared's messy scrawl. Jensen really wants to lean over and see if he can figure out what Jared was doing, but he respects Jared's privacy too much to give the idea any serious consideration.

Harley and Sadie are piled together in one fluffy doggie-bed in the corner, as dead to the world as Jared is, and Jensen has to whistle lowly a couple times to actually get them moving. He lets them out as quietly as possible, fills their food bowls while they're doing their business, and then goes over to rest a hand on Jared's shoulder.

"Jared," he whispers, leaning down so his breath is ghosting over Jared's ear.

Jared twitches, makes some kind of incoherent mumbling sound. Jensen nips gently at his ear. "Mmph," Jared says, blinking wide eyes open as he shivers. He catches Jensen's hand with his own, wipes the bit of drool on his face on the back of it. Jensen cuffs him on the back of his head in retaliation, but there's only amusement dancing through him.

"Were you up all night?" he asks, speaking more quietly than he needs to now that Jared is actually awake.

"Yeah. Stuff. Sorry, got caught up." Jared yawns widely, nuzzles his face against Jensen's arm, and turns to press a kiss to the inside of his wrist.

Possibly, Jensen overreacted when he woke up. This doesn't seem like Jared pulling away at all. Kind of the opposite, in fact. The ball of worry in Jensen's gut is quickly dissolving. "You should get some real sleep. Your back is going to be a mess later."

"No time," Jared mutters. "Three days, not enough time for sleep."

That makes zero sense to Jensen, but it's okay. Jared is still mostly asleep, he can be forgiven for a bit of nonsense. Jensen hefts him up out of his chair and guides him into the bedroom and onto the bed. Jared's eyes are already closing again, and Jensen leans over to press a single soft kiss to his forehead, and one more to his nose. "Sleep. We'll talk in a few hours."

"Gotta… horse… feeding…"

Jared's asleep before he can get any more out, but Jensen gets the basic gist. The farm won't run itself, after all. But he's quite capable of feeding the animals and taking Thunderclap out on his own. Besides which, he could use the ride. His favorite time to think is when he's out on the trails with Thunderclap. The two of them have become fast friends, both of them making their home on this farm, both becoming more and more comfortable as time goes on. Jensen was the first one to ever ride the big horse, and he's still the one Thunderclap trusts best.

It takes Jensen no time at all to run through Jared's usual morning chores, and by the time he's got Thunderclap saddled and ready to go, it's still only mid-morning, the air not yet too oppressive to be able to enjoy the day. Jensen leads the stallion out onto the trails, his mind heavy with too many thoughts.

He talks to Thunderclap, just like he always does when they go riding. He talks out everything he's thinking and feeling and worrying about. He talks about Jared and the future he wants to have with him as they start out, the pace quiet and easygoing. They settle into a trot as he begins to talk about his fears of losing this, Jared and his new home and everything he's worked for since coming here. It's Thunderclap who goes into a canter when Jensen starts venting his frustration and anger at having it all threatened. By the time he's actually yelling his rage at his parents for daring to pretend they still control him, the horse is in a full-on gallop and they're coming up on the last turn toward home.

Jensen takes a few deep breaths as he slows the horse back down to a walk. Beneath him, Thunderclap is clearly worn out, his coal-black coat shiny with perspiration. Jensen rubs a hand over his neck, an apology, and the horse gives a soft whinny. He hops down and leads Thunderclap the rest of the way back on foot, then hoses him down with cool water and brushes him out with a focus he rarely has for the task. Just before he leaves to head back to the house, he feeds the horse an apple from his pocket and lets him butt his nose up against Jensen's hand.

In some ways, it feels like goodbye, and Jensen tries very hard not to think of it as only the first of many.

~ ♥ ~

Jared wakes feeling far more refreshed than he deserves, considering how he first fell asleep, and he makes a mental note to thank Jensen in the best way he can come up with for taking such good care of him. But then a glance at the clock has him cringing, because he can't remember the last time he stayed in bed past noon.

Really, that's the least of his worries right now, all things considered, but old habits die hard. For now though, he has a lot to do, and not a lot of time to do any of it in.

He hops out of bed, changes out of yesterday's clothes and into today's as fast as he can, tripping over himself as he shoves his legs into the faded pair of jeans and grabs for his phone at the same time. "Damn it," he gripes at his own clumsiness, but he's already flipping the phone open and dialing as he throws a flannel shirt on and walks (stumbles) briskly into the kitchen.

The next two hours are spent on the phone with people he usually tries to avoid – businessmen, lawyers, and the like – and poring over papers that start making him dizzy within the first half hour. By the time he's finished, though, he has a good idea of where he stands and what he can do, both for the farm and for his family.

He thinks he can make this work, and the hopeful feeling that settles over him feels damn good.

Jensen finally comes strolling back in just as it's closing in on three o'clock, flushed and sweaty and half-smiling until he stops short and begins eyeing Jared like Jared is a particularly tasty slab of meat. It takes Jared a moment to realize he never managed to button up his shirt, which has him blushing, and then another to understand what the look in Jensen's eyes means, which has him wanting.

By then, they're already halfway to the bedroom, and a lot more of Jared is bare now than just his chest.

"Jensen…" he whines when Jensen's lips close over the sensitive spot on his neck. "We shouldn't…we don't have…need to talk…" Half-formed thoughts that never quite make it to completion on his tongue, but it doesn't matter.

"Talk later. Want you now," Jensen says, navigating Jared toward the bed. His eyes, usually so unnaturally bright, have darkened to near black, and his antennae appear as Jared watches, and when he leans over to claim Jared's mouth with his own, Jared is as good as lost.

~ ♥ ~

Any other day, Jensen might think about being ashamed for manhandling Jared the way he did. But with things the way they are, and not knowing what's going to happen or how long they have, he's not regretting it.

Especially when Jared is curled so perfectly against his side, reaching up occasionally to brush through Jensen's hair and trace down an antenna in a way he knows drives Jensen crazy. It's a perfect moment, one of many they've been lucky enough to share over the course of the last two years, and Jensen is inclined to simply revel in it while he can.

"So can we talk now?" Jared asks, and there goes that idea.

Jensen sighs. "Suppose we probably should."

"Josh managed to delay the Council a few days," Jared says. "I heard from Jeff last night. I know it's not much time, but…I think it should be enough." His eyes are closed, Jensen sees. Clearly trying to pretend he's totally at ease and simply resting, but really, Jensen can see how tense he is.

"Enough for what?" Jensen asks softly. He nudges Jared's chin with his hand, making Jared swallow hard and blink up at him.

"Enough for us to go."

Jensen blinks. "Go?" he asks stupidly.

Jared's face flushes, and he looks down again, a poor attempt to hide. "I…" He stops, takes a breath, tries again. "I thought, if you wanted to…we could leave. Start over somewhere else, somewhere they maybe won't…won't care, or won't find us, or…" Jared's voice breaks as his eyes find Jensen's again, but his eyes flash with a familiar determined fire. "I won't lose you. We've made that promise before, and it's one I intend to keep. I won't lose you, Jensen."

It strikes Jensen exactly what Jared is talking about. Leaving here, leaving his home, his _world_ , so that he can be with Jensen. It's nothing more than what Jensen did, but it's also much more at the same time. Jensen knew what he was getting into. Jared's flying blind and trusting Jensen to keep him from crashing.

It's too much.

"I can't let you do that, Jared. You don't know what you're asking."

Jared snorts, pulling away so that he can sit up and glare. There's no real heat in it, he's not angry, but Jensen still feels cowed even before Jared says, "Give me a little credit, would you? I'm not an idiot. I know exactly what I'm saying, and what it means. You won't change my mind, and you're certainly not letting me do anything. I'll find a way one way or another, and you know it."

"No," Jensen says, pleading, barely even a whisper. His stomach is twisting itself into knots, guilt and hope in equal measure, each one feeding the other until he can't see beyond either. "It's not fair to you, I can't ask you to –"

Jared pulls him into a kiss that's downright brutal to shut him up. Jensen flails a little, then moans, already lost to the intensity of it when Jared murmurs against his lips, "You're not asking, I'm telling. I _want_ to do this."

Abruptly, Jensen pulls away again, feeling shaky and off-balance. "No, Jared, you don't –"

Sighing, Jared reaches over and takes Jensen's hand in his own, fixing him with such an imploring gaze that Jensen has to stop and swallow his words back down. "Jen, do you know what isn't fair? My whole life here. I mean, I love the farm, I do. And God knows I don't want to never see my brother and sister and Chad again. But this was never supposed to be it for me. My family had no right to just expect –" He cuts himself off, bites down on the inside of his cheek and closes his eyes. Jensen knows he's trying not to let himself get distracted from the point he's trying to make.

"Jared…" Jensen squeezes his hand, uses his other one to trace a gentle path down the lines of Jared's face.

Slowly, Jared's eyes open again, and he releases a long breath. "It's you, Jensen. You’re my life now. You're all I want, no matter what other concessions I have to make to keep you. I've spent years giving up the things I wanted to make others happy, but I can't do it this time. Not if the price is losing you."

Jensen swallows hard around the lead in his throat. "Jared, you're talking about giving up your home, gods, your entire _galaxy_. If we were very lucky, you might be able to still talk to the people you care about, but I couldn't guarantee that."

"My home is with you," Jared says, quiet and firm. And then he's smiling, like a thrice-damned sunbeam, and Jensen knows he doesn't have a single way to compete with that. As though he ever really wanted to.

"You're sure?" he asks, because he can't not.

Jared doesn't answer except to cuff him on the back of his head and then drag him in for a long, sweet kiss. "Figure out where would be best," he says when they break apart again. "I'll follow you to the ends of the universe if it comes to it."

Jensen can feel himself blushing, happiness radiating from him like he's going to start spewing rainbows any moment now. "You giant sap," he mutters.

Jared just beams.

~ ♥ ~

The rest of the day is spent, oddly enough, still in bed. Neither of them seems inclined to leave the little safe haven they've made there. They don't say a word about it, just settle in next to each other with meaningful, intimate little smiles. Jared has his back propped against the headboard, laptop open on his outstretched legs as he begins composing the letters he'll need to get the ball rolling on the sale of the farm.

He's had offers on the farm before, several, in fact. For obvious reasons, he's never even answered the inquiries, but Jeff has already made his position clear several times over the years, and while he plans to talk with Megan before making any firm decisions, he's pretty sure what her answer will be as well. And it's more than clear that his parents want nothing to do with it. While the farm is theirs to do with as they please, once it's obvious that Jared is already gone and has no plans to return, he's sure they'll take the easy way out and follow along whatever path he lays out for them.

Beside him, Jensen has his vidscreen in his lap, though he hasn't opened it yet. Jared doesn't know if he plans to contact Josh or Mackenzie on it first, but for now, he's got his simple human cell phone in his hands, most likely exchanging texts with Misha. Jared doesn't know what he's saying, but his eyes are crinkled in amusement as he reads his friend's replies, and he's relaxed enough that his antennae are still unconcealed, one of them twitching a little as he types.

Jared doesn't resist the impulse to reach up and flick it gently, and Jensen's dry look makes him grin, which earns him an eye roll but also a smile Jensen tries to hide, which means it was worth it.

He goes back to his letter, and Jensen flips open the phone to go to his own e-mail, and they manage to work side by side in silence for a few peaceful moments.

"You realize this is ridiculous?" Jensen pipes up, ignoring Jared's amused snort. "I mean, here we are uprooting our entire lives, about to embark on some sort of mad adventure, and we're acting like it's just another Tuesday."

"It's Saturday," Jared points out, quirking another grin at his boyfriend. Jensen pokes him in his side, and Jared wriggles away with a choked laugh. "Well, it is!" he says. "And besides that, on any normal day, you'd probably be at the clinic, and I'd be outside beating vegetables into submission."

"True enough," Jensen says, shaking his head. "But it doesn't strike you as a little…strange?"

"'Strange' is pretty par for the course with us. I'm used to it. Besides…" Jared shifts closer, cuddling up right against Jensen's side. "I'm comfy." He smiles beatifically at Jensen and goes right back to work.

They spend the rest of the afternoon and evening exactly the same way. Considering Jared really is changing everything he's ever known, he's more content than he's ever been before. He's not losing Jensen, and as far as he's concerned, everything is right in the world.

He opens a new document, pauses to think for a long moment, and then slowly begins typing a letter to his parents.

~ ♥ ~

Jensen's at the clinic the next day, his last day (although he still hasn't figured out a way to tell them that), when his phone beeps. He smiles in apology at Bonnie Calin, his favorite patient – a six-year-old with a gap-toothed smile, strawberry blond pigtails, more freckles than he can count, and Type 3 Spinal Muscular Atrophy. She grins back and works on her exercises with a determination he'd respect in an adult, let alone someone as young as she is.

He gives his phone a quick glance, and his heart leaps. It seems his sister has finally replied to his inquiry, and as expected, she's proven herself a genius.

It's perfect.

"Dr. Jensen?" Bonnie pipes up. "How come you're smiling so big?"

"Well, because I'm happy," he tells her, snapping his phone shut and reaching out to gently correct her leg movements.

She nods, very seriously. "I bet it's 'cause of Doc Jared, huh?"

He laughs. He has no idea when Jared got that nickname from his PT kids, but it's pretty awesome. He's willing to bet Jared thinks so, too. "Yeah," he says. "It's because of Doc Jared."

"Is he coming today?" she asks, eyes gleaming in worship. Jared regularly has that effect, it seems.

Jensen wishes he could tell her yes, just like he knows Jared wishes he could be here to say goodbye. Jared doesn't swing by the clinic often, not wanting to make Jensen seem unprofessional when he's on duty, but the few times he has, he's made quite an impression. And the kids, especially Bonnie, have all made an impression on him as well. And Jensen.

Hell, Jensen's going to miss his kids.

At the end of the day, he doesn't say goodbye to Bonnie, just gives her a hug and tells her she did awesome, smiles at her mom, and watches them with a sad smile as they go.

And then it's time to talk to his boss, and unfortunately, as much as he loves working for Dr. Karen Geisler, he knows she isn't going to be happy. Thankfully, he's already made his peace with that.

One last meeting, and then he can go home, where Jared's waiting. And he can tell Jared that they're one step closer to freedom.

~ ♥ ~

"Wait, so, we have a place?" Jared asks, anticipation rising, all but bouncing on his heels as he watches Jensen's face for any possible clues.

"Yeah," Jensen says with a small laugh. "Yeah, I think so. I've got to contact the Ma'sík – their leader – if you agree, but I think it's a good bet." He looks excited, Jared notices, and God, that makes him feel better about all of this.

Jared drops down to sit cross-legged on the living room carpet, then grabs Jensen's hands and pulls him down as well. He keeps their hands clasped together, smiling at the way Jensen's thumb automatically begins rubbing over the skin of his hand. "Okay, so? Tell me about it!" he demands.

"Okay, okay, hang on a sec, I want to make sure I'm remembering my facts right." Jensen closes his eyes, takes a breath. "My people call the planet Cepheus," he says after a long moment, opening his eyes again and fixing his gaze on Jared. Jared, as he always is when Jensen talks about other worlds, is instantly enthralled. "In the native language of the inhabitants, it's called L'Irwanú, and it resides in the Andromeda Galaxy. Before we developed an easy way to take the resources we need from Earth, the people on Mars used to do a lot of trading on Cepheus for what we needed. Believe it or not, the planet is actually incredibly similar to Earth in terms of natural resources – it's one of the reasons I think you'll be more comfortable there. And because of the past trading, the people on Cepheus picked up a lot of the English language, even incorporated a good chunk of it into their own."

Jared nods. "Sounds good so far, but that's not what has you so excited." He eyes Jensen knowingly.

Instead of blushing the way Jared expects or denying the observation, Jensen's smile is glowing. He's practically vibrating with pent-up enthusiasm, and it's got to be contagious, because even before he starts speaking again, Jared can feel it thrumming through him. "The people there are scholars," he tells Jared. "They want to learn, about anything and everything the universe has to offer. It's a small planet, out of the way of any current trading routes. They don't get many visitors. And the technology they have would render us completely untraceable. Short of doing a planet-by-planet search, which I can't see happening, the Council and my parents would never find us. And meanwhile, do you know what the L'Irwanú people would give to learn about this planet? Earth is a mystery, they would never get bored hearing about it." He squeezes Jared's hands. "Jared, you could teach them. The history, the languages. Anything at all. Maybe even become familiar enough with their own culture to be a teacher to their children."

The breath punches out of Jared, just at the thought of it. Of being on this new world, around these strange people, and having them care about what _he_ thinks. What _he_ knows. He's wanted to be a teacher his entire life, and this would be an experience beyond anything he's ever dreamed of before. "And what about you?" he asks, a little breathless. Like hell is he going to agree with this unless it's just as good for Jensen as it seems like it could be for him.

Jensen's smile, impossibly, gets even bigger. "Are you kidding? I can easily set up a practice there. The nice thing about physical therapy is that it's useful just about everywhere, and _especially_ if you've studied xenoanatomy like I have. There are two races of sentient beings that live on Cepheus, bipeds and quadrupeds. The quadrupeds also have wings. Believe me, they'd welcome someone familiar with their anatomy who could help them when they get hurt. Hell, I'd be living my dream, just treating the people of that planet alone. And if later on we feel like it's safe enough, I can get the word out, open the practice to off-worlders as well."

It sounds too good to be true. It sounds impossible.

But Jensen wouldn't have come to him with this unless he was a hundred and ten percent sure he'd looked at every angle.

Which means they can _do_ this.

"Jensen…" he breathes.

Jensen nods, leaning forward and nuzzling his nose. "Yeah. I'll make the call," he says, and his smile now is downright blinding.

~ ♥ ~

Two days later, and it's a few hours before dawn, but Jared and Jensen are already awake, geared up and ready to go. In five Earth-hours, the Council will convene, and Jensen's parents will be given leave to come and collect their son from their barbaric neighboring planet. Josh gave them all the time he could, and they've made the most of it. Letters have been sent, phone calls have been made, and goodbyes – both the easy ones and those that were more difficult – have been said. Jared has been given one of the precious eco-boosters from Jensen's stash. Jeff waits on the farm for Jared's parents, and he'll give them that letter himself. And meanwhile, the Ma'sík is waiting on their new home to welcome them.

But for this one single moment, none of that matters. All is quiet and peaceful and perfect. Jared and Jensen sit side by side in the cockpit of _Impala_ , staring out at their cornfield in the moonlight. Their fingers brush, then caress, then lace, and they turn simultaneously to smile at each other.

They're ready.

Jensen enters their destination into the computer. It calculates a direct course, and then there's nothing left to do but fly. Jared doesn't release his hand, probably won't give it up for the entire flight, but Jensen doesn't mind. He's been flying _Impala_ single-handedly since he first learned to pilot.

He takes a breath, hears it twinned from the seat next to him as he pulls out of the shed, and then he's ascending, slowly enough that they can watch the cornfield fall away from view.

The heart-shaped crop circle is still there, and Jensen can't help but laugh. There are tears mixed in with it, but he's pretty good at masking those when he needs to, and anyway, with Jared there's no reason to try. Jared gazes fondly at it as well, then turns the look onto Jensen. His smile is a little wobbly as well, but it's pure.

No regrets. They'd promised.

They pull out of Earth's atmosphere. The computer chimes, lights flickering as _Impala_ turns toward Andromeda. Toward their future.

Their story, after all, is only just beginning.

 

  
~ ♥ ~  



End file.
